Superman

For other uses, see Superman (disambiguation).

Superman
Superman #204. Art by Jim Lee.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Action Comics #1 (1938)
Created by	Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster
In-story information
Alter ego	Kal-El, adopted as Clark Joseph Kent
Team affiliations	Justice League of America, The Legion of Super-Heroes (pre-Crisis as Superboy); Justice Society of America (pre-Crisis Earth-2 version); All-Star Squadron (pre-Crisis Earth-2 version)
Notable aliases	The Man of Steel, the Man of Tomorrow, the Last Son of Krypton, Big Blue, the Metropolis Marvel, the Action Ace
Abilities	flight, invulnerability, super-strength, super-speed, super-intellect, super-breath, super-hearing, vision powers including x-ray vision, heat vision, telescopic vision.

Superman, nicknamed The Man of Steel, is a fictional character and superhero who first appeared in Action Comics #1 in June of 1938 and eventually became the most popular and well-known comic book icon of all time.

The character, who was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster for National Comics (today DC Comics), subsequently appeared in various radio serials, television programs, and films. Superman was born Kal-El on the planet Krypton. He was sent to Earth in a rocket by his scientist father Jor-El moments before Krypton exploded, landing on Earth outside the town of Smallville, where he was discovered and adopted by the amiable Jonathan and Martha Kent. As he grew, he discovered that he possessed superhuman powers. When not fighting the forces of evil as Superman, he lives disguised as Clark Kent, a "mild-mannered reporter" for the Daily Planet. Clark's usual love interest is fellow reporter Lois Lane. In current comics continuity, Kent and Lane are married.

Synopsis

Superman's abilities and relationships have changed over time. Editors and writers used the process of retroactive continuity, or retcon, to adjust to changes in popular culture, eliminate restrictive segments of the mythos, and permit contemporary storylines. These changes, while significant, permit the retention of the core elements that make Superman an iconic character.

The story of Superman's origin parallels that of other cultural heroes and religious figures  Administrator note who were spirited away as infants from places where they were in danger.

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Cover of Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman. Art by Joe Shuster.

Template:Spoiler In the legend extant in the early 1960s (and memorably summarized at the start of each episode of the 1950s Adventures of Superman television series Administrator note), Superman was born on Krypton as Kal-El, the son of Jor-El, a scientist and leader, and Lara, a former astronaut. When Kal-El was two or three years old, Jor-El learned that Krypton was doomed to explode, and he brought this to the attention of Krypton's ruling leaders, the Science Council. Disbelieving Jor-El's prediction, they refused to warn their fellow Kryptonians, and forbade Jor-El to do so. Jor-El and Lara promised that they wouldn't leave Krypton (Lara vowed to stay by her husband's side rather than accompany Kal-El to Earth, so that his ship would have a better chance of surviving the trip), and decided to use the little time remaining to save their son. Moments before Krypton exploded, Jor-El launched Kal-El in a rocket ship towards Earth, knowing that Earth's lower gravity and yellow sun would give the boy extraordinary powers.

Kal-El's ship landed in a field near the town of Smallville, and was discovered by Jonathan and Martha Kent; (in the earliest comics, the Kents were named "John" and "Mary"; in a 1942 text novel and the 1950s television series The Adventures of Superman, the Kents were named "Sarah" and "Eben.") They named him Clark, after Martha's maiden name. After formally adopting him, the Kents raised him on their farm through his preschool years. By the time Clark started school, the Kents had sold their farm and moved into Smallville, where they purchased a general store. During this time, both Clark and the Kents had discovered Clark's amazing powers, and, with Clark realizing the good he could do with his powers, began training their adopted son to use his powers wisely. At the age of eight, Clark adopted the superhero identity Superboy, and began to fight crime, both in the present and in a far future time as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. After he graduated from high school and the Kents died, Clark moved to Metropolis to attend Metropolis University. During his junior year, Clark changed his superhero name to Superman. After graduating with a degree in journalism, Clark was hired by the Daily Planet.

In 1986, after the Crisis on Infinite Earths miniseries, DC Comics hired writer/artist John Byrne to recreate the Superman character and retell the Superman mythos, reshaping the previous forty-eight years of stories by putting several new twists on the established mythos. In this "post-Crisis" version, starting with the miniseries The Man of Steel, Superman—like all "post-Crisis" Kryptonians— was created through in-vitro fertilization on Krypton. While a fetus, he escaped Krypton's destruction in a spacecraft (his "birthing matrix" with a rocket engine attached), and landed months later outside of Smallville, by which time he had fully gestated into an infant. Effectively this Superman was "born" on Earth, and was a "son" of Earth as much as Krypton. As in the original version, he was found and adopted by the Kents, and raised like a normal human. In the retelling, Clark's powers developed gradually, beginning with his nigh-invulnerability, and he didn't fly until he was a teenager. After leaving Smallville, he traveled the world before settling in Metropolis, completing his education, and going to work at the Daily Planet. The remodeled Clark did not become a superhero until just before starting work at the Daily Planet, when he prevented an experimental spacecraft from crashing in Metropolis. The Kents were kept alive during Clark's transition to Superman.

In the post-Crisis comics, Clark Kent is presented more as the "real" person, with Superman the secret identity that he presents to the world to prevent his enemies from harming his family or friends. Also post-Crisis, people do not suspect that Superman is hiding his real identity because he wears no mask. The concept that Clark is the real man, and the greater emphasis on his earthly upbringing, is a deliberate reversal of the earlier, pre-Crisis version. As in the original continuity, Lois Lane is Clark Kent/Superman's love interest. In the early 1990s, Lois and Clark fell in love. Clark soon told her he was Superman, which caused a brief strain in their relationship, but they eventually married, in the mid-1990s special Superman: The Wedding Album.

A 2004 miniseries, Birthright, introduced further changes to Superman's origin story, bringing back some of the pre-Crisis elements eliminated by John Byrne and introducing elements of the Smallville television series.

Clark Kent

File:Superman 296.jpg

Superman and Clark Kent. From Superman (volume 1) #296, February 1976. Art by Curt Swan.

Clark Jerome Kent is the civilian secret identity of Superman. Though never receiving the same popular attention as the superheroic alter ego, the personality, idea, and name of Clark Kent have entered into popular culture in their own right, becoming synonymous with secret identities and fronts for ulterior motives and activities.

As first written in the earliest Superman comics, Clark Kent's primary purpose was to fulfill the basic dramatic concept that a costumed hero cannot operate as a costumed hero twenty-four hours a day, or throughout the entirety of a comic book series. As such, Kent acted as little more than a front for Superman's activities. Although his name and history were taken from his early life with his adoptive Earth parents, everything about Kent was staged for the benefit of his alternate identity — he acquired a job as a reporter for the Daily Planet for the convenience of receiving late-breaking news before the general public, providing an excuse for being present at crime scenes and having an occupation where his whereabouts do not have to be strictly accounted for as long as he makes his story deadlines.

However, in order to draw attention away from the correlation between Kent and Superman, Clark Kent adopted a largely passive and introverted personality, applying conservative mannerisms, a higher-pitched voice, and a slight slouch. This personality is typically described as "mild-mannered," perhaps most famously by the opening narration of Max Fleischer's Superman animated theatrical shorts. These traits extended into Kent's wardrobe, typically consisting of a blue business suit, a red necktie, black-rimmed glasses, and combed-back hair.

Kent wears his Superman costume underneath his street clothes, which lends itself to easy transferrence between the two personalities. However, the purpose of this convention outside of fiction is largely dramatic, allowing Kent to rip open his shirt and reveal the familiar "S" insignia when called into action. When in action, Superman usually stores his Clark Kent clothing inside a secret pouch hidden inside of his cape, though some stories have shown him leaving his clothes in some covert location for later retrieval.

In the wake of John Byrne's The Man of Steel reboot of Superman continuity, many traditional aspects of Clark Kent were dropped in favor of a more aggressive personality; Kent became a respected journalist with a more dedicated social life.

In Metropolis, Superman (as Clark Kent) works as a reporter at the Planet, "a great metropolitan newspaper" which allows him to keep track of ongoing events where he might be of help. Largely working on his own, his identity is easily kept secret. Fellow reporter Lois Lane became the object of Clark's/Superman's romantic affection. Lois's affection for Superman and her rejection of Clark's clumsy advances have been a recurring theme in Superman comics, television, and movies.

Various reasons over the decades have been offered for why people haven't suspected Superman and Clark Kent of being one and the same. In the 1970s, one such suggestion was that the lenses of Clark Kent's glasses (made of Kryptonian materials) constantly amplified a low-level super-hypnosis power, thereby creating the illusion of others viewing Clark Kent as a weak and frailer being; however, this reason was abandoned almost as quickly as it was introduced, since it had various flaws (such as stories where Batman would disguise himself as Clark Kent, among others). [1]. Other fans have noted that the disguise is effective presuming Clark is as skilled an actor as Christopher Reeve. The actor's portrayal of Clark in the feature film series was praised for making the disguise's effectiveness credible to audiences.

Another reason given in the late 1980s was that Superman would vibrate his face slightly so that photographs would only show his features as a blur, thus preventing the danger of photographs of both identities being reliably compared. However, more recent stories showing Superman being photographed have tended to ignore this factor.

The main means of Superman protecting his secret identity has usually been the physical distinctions between Superman and Clark Kent: Clark Kent is usually shown as wearing conservative clothing, slightly slouching, and speaking in a higher-pitched voice, along with adopting more introverted mannerisms than his heroic alter-ego. Traditionally, Lois Lane and others would often suspect Superman of truly being Clark Kent (and vice-versa), though more recent comics often feature the general public assuming that Superman (because he doesn't wear a mask, suggesting he has nothing to hide) doesn't have a secret identity; in Superman (2nd series) #2 (1987), for example, Lex Luthor was once told the truth, but he dismissed the idea because he could not believe that someone so powerful would want another identity. Also in the modern stories, Lois Lane never suspected the dual identity beyond one time when she visited the Kent farm and caught Superman and Lana Lang together. In the ensuing discussion, she asked about it, but was fooled with an improvised story by the Kents that Superman and Clark grew up together on the farm.

Furthermore, there have been several occasions where Clark and Superman have been seen together, usually staged by Superman as a means of protecting his secret identity; these means have included the use of shape-shifters posing as Superman (as seen in Action Comics #692 when Supergirl posed as Clark Kent so Superman could rescue him from a Civil Defense shelter) and the use of Superman or Clark Kent robots. Occasionally, Superman has requested people to impersonate him as in one Silver Age story in Action Comics #309 which had John F. Kennedy performing such a favor. This inadvertantly created an awkward situation for DC Comics when the story was published coincidentally a month after the President's assassination. The company attempted to stop distribution of the issue to avoid offending readers.

When crises arise, Clark quickly changes into Superman. In the Fleischer animated series of theatrical cartoons, he often ducked into a telephone booth to make the transformation. In the comic books he rarely does so, favoring the Daily Planet's storeroom. As a dramatic plot device, Clark often has to quickly improvise in order to find a way to change unnoticed. For example in the first Christopher Reeve Superman movie, Kent is comically unable to use a newer, open-kiosk pay phone, so he enters a revolving door and changes clothes while spinning within it at superspeed. Thus made invisible, he appeared to enter the building as Kent and exit seconds later as Superman.

Kent Family History

In the current Superman continuity, it was revealed that the Kent family in the 19th century were noted abolitionists who assisted the personnel of the Underground Railroad, like Harriet Tubman. The family moved to the territory of Kansas during the infamous Bleeding Kansas period to promote the cause of creating a free state by running a newspaper for the region.

Unfortunately, the family patriarch was murdered by Border Ruffians who wanted to silence him. Furthermore, the sons, Nathaniel and Jeb, argued and had a parting of the ways so deep about slavery that they found themselves on opposing sides of the American Civil War with Jeb fighting with the notorious Confederate guerrilla unit lead by William Quantrill. Nathaniel fought for the North and married a half-Native American woman who gave him a special traditional spiritual symbol that was apparently a forerunner and inspiration for Superman's chest symbol.

After the war, Nathaniel became a sheriff in Smallville, while Jeb became the leader of a group of bandits. Eventually, Jeb discovered he had a son out of wedlock years ago, and allowed him to join his gang. Unfortunately, his son turned out to be a murderous sociopath and Jeb approached his estranged brother to arrange a trap to stop him.

Regrettably, in springing the trap, the son mortally wounded his father before being killed himself and Jeb fully reconciled with Nate before dying. Nate remained in Smallville and there the Kents have stayed for generations, including Jonathan and Martha Kent, Superman's adoptive parents.

Superman's abilities

Superman possesses extraordinary powers which render him, as stated in the lead-in to the 1950s television series, "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound". His powers were relatively limited in the early stories, but grew to become near-godlike by the 1980s. After Byrne's 1986 rewrite, Superman's powers were diminished, though have grown again since then.

His powers include:

• Near invulnerability: In the 1940s, "nothing less than a bursting artillery shell could break his skin"; by the 1970s he could fly through a star and shrug off a nuclear blast. In 1986, Superman was somewhat depowered. Still able to withstand artillery shells, lasers, and even nuclear explosions, he would be killed if he flew into a star. His powers have since increased, allowing him to fly into the sun unharmed. Because Superman's powers are partly due to Earth's yellow sun, in Action Comics #782 (October, 2001), during the "Our Worlds at War" series, Superman flies through the sun, which gives him enough strength and power to move an entire planet. In addition, his immune system protects him from toxins and diseases.

• Vision-related powers:
  • X-ray vision: The ability to see through anything except lead. He can see things behind a wall as if the wall were not there, or can "peel back" layer after layer of matter in his mind. Opponents sometimes use lead-lined constructs in an attempt to hide things from Superman. In one "post-Crisis" story this trick backfired when Superman simply scanned the field for lead, which instantly stands out as the only opaque substance to his vision, and found the hidden item easily.
  • Telescopic vision: The ability to see very distant objects, without violating the laws of physics.
  • Superman can also see the entire electromagnetic spectrum, including infrared and ultraviolet, allowing him to see in the dark.
  • Microscopic vision: The ability to see extremely small objects and images.
  • Heat Vision: The ability to apply heat to a target by staring intensely at it with the conscious act of activating his power. Visually, the power is typically depicted as twin laser beams firing from the eyes. These beams can be made invisible, allowing Superman to work undetected.
• Super hypnotism: Pre-Crisis, Superman had the ability to hypnotize others at will. This ability was dropped in the modern comics. One late 1970s story, attempting to explain the effectiveness of Superman's disguise as Clark Kent, suggested that his super-hypnotism, aided by his Clark Kent glasses, worked continually to make others see him as a thin, mild mannered man, not an athlete in a suit, and even included photographs of himself. However, this theory presented numerous flaws, such as various stories where Batman would disguise himself as Clark Kent; it also failed to account for anyone studying Kent's build from behind, let alone how the illusion could work on a video camera or whenever Kent was performing his job as a TV news anchorman. For these reasons, this explanation for his disguise's effectiveness was dropped, in favor of the traditional "suspension of disbelief" status quo.
• Super-hearing: The ability to hear any sound at any volume or pitch. The only Earth creature who can detect sounds at the frequency he can is a Blue Whale (0.01-200,000 Hz).
• Super voice: Superman is a master ventriloquist; he used this once to rescue Lois from criminals. He is also a brilliant mimic, able to impersonate human voices or animal sounds. Pre-Crisis, Superman also possessed the power of "super-ventriloquism," or the ability to pitch his voice across vast distances, which he would use in combination with his super-hearing as a means of communication.
• The power of flight, by force of will, which also allows him to maneuver precisely in any direction, as well as hover. Originally, Superman could jump 1/8 of a mile, and only acquired the ability to fly in the early 1940s, when the first Superman animated films were being produced and super-jumping proved to not look very impressive on theatre screens. (These quirks were later retconned into the Earth-Two Superman, who could indeed only jump 1/8 mile, although he later learned to fly.)
• Super breath: The ability to create hurricane force winds by blowing, and to chill his breath to freeze a target (this latter ability has also been called "freeze breath").
• Super speed: The ability to move at an incredible speed, like the Flash. This includes running, but flying is less strenuous and more versatile. The earliest Superman ran at a mere 30 miles per hour, but quickly became much faster; by the 1950s, Superman became capable of flying through space at faster-than-light speeds, as well as travel through time. Post-Crisis, his top speed seems to be at or near the speed of light, and he can no longer travel through time under his own power.
• Super strength: While the exact magnitude of Superman's strength is unknown, it is generally accepted that his strength easily surpasses the capacity to lift 100 tons, but how much more is not known exactly. This is because Superman's strength, like his other powers, has fluctuated over time, with the Man of Steel being at times able to shift a planet from its orbit. One figure for Superman's strength is 800,000 tons (pre-The Death of Superman story arc).
• Super memory: Superman has total photographic memory. He has, for example, memorized the Metropolis phone book and all of the files at the Daily Planet, very useful abilities in his guise as a reporter.
• Super intellect: In the earliest comics, Kryptonians were endowed with genius-level intellects on their native planet. Eventually, this superior mental talent was altered to being another superpower gained only under the influence of a yellow sun (though Krypton still possessed an advanced educational and intellectual state). In the Silver Age comics, Superman possessed the intelligence of a collection of the world's greatest minds. He had a computer-like brain, which gave him total recall and the ability to speak all earthly languages and even most alien ones. His skill with science and mathematics were beyond human comprehension. However, over time, this power as a whole has been scaled back, if not eliminated, in current comics. The ability is evident in The New Batman-Superman Adventures, the Justice League cartoon series, though.

From the 1940s through the early 1980s, Superman's powers were nearly unlimited: he could travel millions of light-years in brief periods of time; he could dive into stars unharmed; he could travel through time by moving at speeds faster than light; and he could move planets and lift any weight. He could even vibrate his body so fast, the vibrations rendered him "invisible" to the human eye.

When Superman was revamped in 1986, he became more vulnerable and was no longer omnipotent. As in the original series, writers again gradually increased his powers. Since "coming back to life" during The Death of Superman story arc, Superman can once again survive nuclear blasts, though they leave him wounded and weakened, and he can no longer fly faster than the speed of light or travel through time under his own power. His strength too has increased, to the point of allowing him to move mountains again.

How Superman's powers work

Superman's powers are derived from his Kryptonian biology and Earth's sun (a yellow star), and are likely increased by Earth's lesser gravity (versus Krypton's higher gravity).

Various explanations have been offered over the years explaining how Superman's powers work. In the earliest comics, all Kryptonians were said to possess superpowers while on Krypton. By the late 1940s, this was changed to Kryptonians only gaining superpowers when under a lower gravity environment such as Earth's. In the early 1960s, after the introduction of Supergirl, this was amended to Kryptonians deriving their powers from mainly exposure to a yellow sun (vs. Krypton's red sun), as well as to a much lesser degree Earth's lower gravity; when under a red sun, a Kryptonian would be completely powerless, even if it was a low-gravity environment. John Byrne in his 1986 reboot suggested that Superman's powers were telekinetic or psionic in their functioning (as a result of the traditional yellow sun explanation).

One such "scientific" explanation used in various recent analyses of how Superman's powers might work is as follows:

Kryptonian mitochondria absorb certain wavelengths of the radiation emitted by solar fusion. Under a red sun, this yields increased abilities, which are multiplied a thousand-fold by a yellow sun. The solar energy supplements respiration, such that when cellular materials (perhaps Kryptonian ATP) combine with glucose, they produce abilities beyond those of humans under a yellow sun.

"K-ATP" is produced rapidly, enabling a Kryptonian to build up reserves that permit days of super-powered activity in the absence of sunlight. In addition, Krypton's gravity was 50-100 times stronger than Earth's, so Kryptonian cells are also much stronger and denser than a human's.

Under a yellow sun, other factors contribute to invulnerability. First, cell membranes and organelles become more resistant to harm; secondly, a bioelectric field surrounds the cells, making them thousands of times tougher. This "aura" surrounds Superman's epidermis and teeth, and possibly his nails as well. His hair is invulnerable, too. Superman has been shown shaving and presumably cutting his hair by reflecting his heat vision off of a piece of curved, reflective metal from the rocket in which he landed. In fact, any type of highly heat-resistant reflective metal will work, as shown in Action Comics #663 (page 11). When his cells become "supercharged" under a yellow sun, a Kryptonian becomes super-powered. He is invulnerable to forces under 1 kiloton, and is harmed only by repeated blows of over 1 megaton. His brain and nervous system keep up with his enhanced speed, as they too are amplified by K-ATP.

Some have hypothesized that Superman's "super-strength" is a result of his extending his bioelectric energy field around whatever he is carrying so as to negate gravity's effects upon it, based upon his moving objects with far greater mass than himself in ways that seem to violate the laws of physics and other such seemingly impossible feats. However, this need not necessarily be the case. Superman can simply use his gravity-manipulating abilities to hold himself in place relative to the Earth (or wherever he may be), thus making him effectively immobile - the Kryptonian equivelant of "planting one's feet" when trying to move a heavy object. Holding himself in one spot, Superman's 100 kg. of mass suddenly has the inertial effects of something significantly more massive, and as such he is far less likely to move when exerting force upon another object. If a person with just incredible strength were to attempt to lift a locomotive above his or her head with just one hand by grabbing it by the frame in the front (assuming that the frame would be capable of supporting the force, of course) and swinging it upwards in an even motion, they would simply have their legs pulled out from underneath them by their own strength; however, Superman would be able to do so with ease due to his abilities in manipulating gravity. He cannot break the laws of physics, but he can sneak through the loopholes.

As for holding up heavy objects which seemingly lack the structural support to be moved the way Superman moves them (i.e. lifting a battleship above his head), the answer lies in Superman's other incredible abilities as much as his superhuman strength. Superman can use his X-ray and infrared vision to pinpoint the stronger points of whatever he happpens to be lifting (by searching for bulkheads, support beams, and denser areas of the structure) and lift from whichever of them is closest to the item's center of gravity. Of course, Superman has had plenty of practice with this sort of thing; when he was just starting out, he probably dropped more ships than he held onto! (Presumably, Clark practiced on mothballed ships or planes and abandoned buildings before making a career out of it.)

The reason that the idea of Superman's strength coming from his extension of his bioelectric force field is unlikely stems from, again, the laws of physics. Superman's force field (the source of his invulnerability, his gravitation manipulation abilities, and some have argued his strength) is generated by his body, and (as the name implies) places force on things - for example, when he is hit by a missile, it creates a force in the opposite direction as the force of the missile and explosion - otherwise, it would go right through the Man of Steel! But force weakens with increased distance at an exponential rate, so if Superman extends his field around another person his size, he would be doubling its size - and its strength would drop to one-fourth. So, either Superman would find himself having to quadruple his internal energy output to compensate, or find himself only a quarter as tough as he had been before. (Of course, one might argue that being only 1/4 as invulnerable as Superman is still fairly tough.) If he were lifting an aircraft carrier, things would be far worse. With his field now stretched out over an area thousands of times the size of his body, Superman's field would drop to an infinitesimal percentage of its previous strength. He would either find himself effectively mortal and flightless or need to increase his energy usage nearly a million times over to maintain his usual power levels - and even with his massive reserves, to do so would liekly eat through all of his stored energy in a matter of seconds. So either the Man of Steel is exploiting some heretofore unknown loophole in the laws of physics, or his super-strength is really nothing but that - incredible, old-fashioned strength.

(Also, were he extending his field around other objects when he lifted them, it would make them as invulnerable as him - something that has been shown in the comics to be untrue on multiple occasions. However, it has also been shown having him carry people at such speeds that would kill them normally, so no real conclusion can be drawn one way or another from this data.)

Superman's other senses are less linked to solar energy than his strength and speed. Due to Earth's lighter air, he can hear things no human can. Solar energy magnifies its accuracy, allowing him to fine-tune it. His taste, smell, and touch are equally acute. He sees all wavelengths, from radio to X-rays, allowing him to detect thermal trails and other "invisible" things.

Recently, Superman has exhibited superhuman healing capabilities in addition to his invulnerability, healing wounds in seconds which, if their equivelant was inflicted upon a normal human, would result in weeks of recovery. While this is perhaps a somewhat more feasible explanation (in certain respects) than total invulnerability for an indestructible person, it is probable that this super-healing consumes great amounts of energy in order to immediately regrow cells and tissues capable of function right away.

Superman's cells store vast amounts of yellow solar energy. He replenishes his supply even on cloudy days, and weakens only after a week without sunlight. Near a red sun, his powers would fail faster. Red solar radiation creates a chemical which does not lead to the super energy produced by K-ATP. Kryptonite exposure also stops the process that converts yellow sunlight into superpowers, leaving Superman immediately weakened. His powers return quickly once the kryptonite is removed. In recent comics, Superman seems to be slowly building up immunity to kryptonite, and it is possible that its effect is in part psychological. In several late 1980s and early 1990s storylines, Kryptonians demonstrated a biological and possibly psychological link to their planet, which may explain the intense effects Superman experiences when in the presence of different types of kryptonite. In one of the storylines' issues, however, Jor-El explained to Lara that he eliminated the particular weakness that connects Kryptonians to their planet from Kal-El while he was still in his birthing matrix, which could also mean that kryptonite effects might be a result of the lack of connection to Superman's home planet.

Earlier in his life, as in his battle with Doomsday, Superman's solar energy supply was depleted by exertion. More recent exertions caused less of a power drain, suggesting that he is now either storing more energy, or growing stronger under the yellow sun. It is unknown whether higher energy stars might increase his powers even more.

File:SupermanBLUE.jpg

Superman in his blue-colored energy containment suit, as seen in the late 1990s comics.

It does not seem likely that Superman would be able to extract enough energy simply through solar absorption in order to allow him to perform the super-feats he is capable of, which suggests that he is in fact using the yellow solar photons as a conduit or gateway to access larger power levels - the yellow photons either are a catalyst or create a chemical which serves as a catalyst to get more power. Perhaps Superman, while under a yellow sun, is capable of converting matter directly to energy in his cells as described by Einstein - E = mc^2. Superman would eat and drink as a normal human, but upon reaching his cells, it would be converted directly into energy or into a higher energy form thanks to the yellow solar radiation interacting with certain organelles in his cells. The super-powers might simply be an unexpected byproduct of this reaction; the cells become more invulnerable as they absorb energy so as to be able to withstand higher energy reactions, which then serves as the gateway to his other powers.

In the late 1990s, a story arc involving Superboy and Supergirl shrinking down to about cell-size to investigate why Superman had become ill, discovered that Superman's stomach converted his food directly into energy, calling his stomach a nuclear furnace. This could explain some of his enormous energy-output levels compared to the comparitively low energy he receives from the sun's rays.

In 1997, the Superman titles began a year-long storyline; beginning in February 1997, Superman began experiencing problems with his powers---a conventional plot element. Superman soon found that his conventional superpowers were replaced with electrical-based ones that required a special new costume to contain them. Superman (volume 2) #123 introduced both Superman's new powers and his new costume.

Superman appeared with his new costume and powers until the end of 1997, when the comic special "Superman Red / Superman Blue" saw him split into two beings: a red-colored Superman, or "Superman Red," and the then-current blue-colored Superman, or "Superman Blue." These elements, as well as the comic special title, were a reference to the classic Silver Age "imaginary story" of the same name. After a few months of stories, March and April 1998 saw the comic special "Superman Forever," in which the two Supermen united into one whole, with Superman's classic powers and costume restored.

Weaknesses

There are some things Superman cannot do. Since he is not human, he cannot donate blood, tissue, or organs. Procedures like surgery are impossible without special equipment. He does not sweat under earthly conditions, as no temperatures are high enough to make him secrete liquid to cool himself down. The issue of whether Superman can father children is humorously explored in the movie Mallrats, as well as in the essay Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex by sci-fi author Larry Niven (originally published in his 1971 collection All the Myriad Ways.). On the final episode of the television series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, the pair adopted a child who, like Clark, came from mysterious origins, and the "Death of Superman" novel established that Kryptonian DNA is twelve-stranded, and thus incompatible with two-stranded human DNA. But historically, many stories have established that Superman can in some manner have progeny.

As a Kryptonian, he has one specific area of vulnerability. Since Krypton was destroyed, its remains (rendered radioactive by the explosion) have been spreading throughout the universe as kryptonite, a crystalline substance which has several major variants:

• Green kryptonite is fatal to Kryptonians exposed to it for a sufficient period of time, and causes immediate intense pain to Kryptonians upon exposure. Pre-Crisis, Green Kryptonite had no effect on humans; post-Crisis, it can give humans cancer with very long term exposure, as Lex Luthor discovered.

• Red kryptonite has unpredictable effects on Kryptonians' physical or mental states, such as splitting Superman in two, inducing amnesia, turning him into a giant, etc. The effects wear off in 24-48 hours, after which a Kryptonian becomes immune to that particular piece. In the television series Smallville, red kryptonite serves to lessen kryptonian inhibitions, similar to the way alcohol lessens human inhibitions (but without the concurrent depressant effects); on Lois and Clark, red kryptonite had three different effects: one inducing a sense of apathy, one transferring all powers to another being, and one amplifying his powers by seven times. In the "Tower of Babel" story arc in the JLA comic book, a piece of synthetic red kryptonite made his skin invisible, allowing the sun to supercharge his cells past their normal limit and cause great pain to Superman himself.

• Gold kryptonite permanently removes a Kryptonian's superpowers. In Action Comics #823 (March, 2005), yellow or gold synthetic Kryptonite was used to give a frail man incredible size and strength, rivaling that of Superboy AND Superman. This particular kryptonite was apparently uniquely different from regular Gold Kryptonite, in that it was part of a plan by Gog to weaken and age Superman.

• Blue kryptonite affects only Bizarros, in the same way that green kryptonite affects only Kryptonians. In some story arcs, it can also counteract the effects of red kryptonite.

• White kryptonite affects (and kills) only plant life.

• Jewel kryptonite gave Phantom Zone prisoners amplified mental powers.

• Slow Kryptonite is a modified variety of Green Kryptonite produced by a Terran scientist that decelerates the speed of nerve impulses, and movements of both Kryptonians and Terrans.

• X-Kryptonite was created by Supergirl while she was trying to find a cure for Green Kryptonite. It gives Terrans, or at least Terran cats, Kryptonian style powers for a limited time. See also: Streaky the Supercat.

• Anti-Kryptonite affected non-superpowered Kryptonians in the same way that Green Kryptonite affected superpowered Kryptonians. This form of kryptonite was what killed the residents of Argo City.

For more information on kryptonite, see also: Kryptonite.

Other variants were introduced sporadically, but after the 1986 John Byrne reboot, all versions except for green were retconned out of existence. Since that time, an updated version of red kryptonite was reintroduced into the comics. Recently, with the destruction of the Kryptonite meteor in Superman/Batman, large quantites of kryptonite have fallen to earth; new forms beyond the red and green are believed to be amongst them, as of now, blue, black, and clear forms have been seen in addition to the previously known types so far. The effects of the new blue Kryptonite were unknown until recently, when, in a Superman/Batman comic, a Bizarro-Batman (self-proclaimed "Batzarro") was shown giving a Blue Kryptonite ring to Bizarro, causing Bizarro to actually speak normally and intelligently while still being "positively lethal" to him.

Superman is also vulnerable to magical and psychic effects, although he is no more detrimentally affected by such effects than a normal human would be.

Equipment

Given his abilities, personal equipment plays less of a role for Superman than for other superheroes.

The Fortress of Solitude, located in the Arctic in the pre-Crisis version of the mythos and (until recently when it was moved to the Amazon Basin) in Antarctica in the post-Crisis version, serves as Superman's secret base of operations. The Fortress acts as Superman's personal getaway, although it has communications equipment for urgent messages. While various 1940s comics made mention of Superman having a "mountain retreat," the Fortress in its familiar sense was first introduced in the comics in 1958.

In pre-Crisis continuity, the Fortress included laboratories, a private zoo of alien animals, a room for communication with the Phantom Zone with a projector to place or remove people from it, a Krypton memorial, a trophy room, and a gym with custom exercise equipment. It also had tribute rooms to personal friends like Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Batman, and Clark Kent (to throw off suspicion about his secret identity by visitors unfamiliar with it), where Superman prepared special gifts for each in the event of his death. Most importantly, the Fortress was where Superman stored the bottle city of Kandor, which, in the pre-Crisis, was a Kryptonian city shrunken and stolen by Brainiac prior to the planet's destruction. For years, Superman worked to reverse the city's condition, while also enjoying the opportunity to visit a native community where he was an honored guest.

In post-Crisis continuity, the Fortress was originally created by the Kryptonian artifact, the Eradicator, when Superman tried to dispose of it in Antarctica. The device created the Fortress which contains much of Krypton's technology, including artificially intelligent robots. Superman and fellow superhero Steel encased the Fortress in a tesseract, permitting the Man of Steel to carry the Fortress wherever he travels. Superman also stores in the Fortress various equipment, weapons, and vehicles of Kryptonian design, including a large fighting mecha called a battlesuit and a means of accessing the Phantom Zone.

A trademark of the Fortress in all of its incarnations is a memorial statue of his Kryptonian parents, Jor-El and Lara, holding up a globe of the planet Krypton.

Superman, in the pre-Crisis comics, also had androids that could impersonate himself (as both Superman and as Clark Kent). He largely abandoned them when Earth's pollution began to interfere with their functions. Post-Crisis, Superman at one time had built various Superman robots; however, all but one were destroyed, with the sole remaining robot currently being kept on duty at the Fortress of Solitude. This one remaining robot was destroyed by superheroine Donna Troy, at the expense of her own life, though she was soon resurrected.

For situations involving kryptonite, Superman in the original comics had a collection of lead-lined suits for protection. If his powers were disabled or he needed stronger protection, Superman also had his "Supermobile," a small flying car-like vehicle which could fly anywhere and use its powerful waldo arms to handle outside objects.

Superman's costume was created by Ma Kent; pre-Crisis, she created it out of the blankets from the rocket that brought him to Earth. Said blankets, like everything else from Krypton under a yellow sun environment such as Earth's, shared Clark's invulnerability. His armor-like costume could also protect others that wore it. While carrying passengers in flight, Superman would wrap them in his cape to protect them from air friction. In the post-Crisis comics, his costume is invulnerable because of the bioelectric field that his cells produce (see how it works). Although much fun has been made over the years of the unusuality of his costume it was in fact very practical in Superman's early stories due to its gliding cape and unemcumburing body suit[2].

In the original comics, Clark's eyeglass lenses were made from two small rounded pieces of glass from his spaceship. Since they were of Kryptonian origin, Clark could fire his heat vision through them without melting them (in contrast, the post-Crisis Clark has to lift his glasses [made of ordinary materials] off his eyes when he uses his heat vision). Superman also sometimes carries spare change in his hollowed-out belt buckle, which also doubles as a Justice League communication device. In recent comics (as seen in Superman/Batman), the belt buckle is made of lead and stored a fairly safe synthetic form of kryptonite for Clark to use. When he had Kandor in his possession in the pre-Crisis comics, all of these improvisations were supplemented by the products of the professional tailors and lenscrafters available in the bottle city.

Personality and character

Originally, Superman's personality could be rough and destructive. In one really early story in which the government would not help maintain low income areas unless a disaster occurred, Superman went on a rampage and created one. Superman is also nearly always portrayed as having had some hand in WWII, when the timeline permits. As superhero stories became more oriented toward young readers, the writers moved toward his better known "boy scout" persona. Even so, Superman's capacity for a violent anger is a key element to many of the most dramatic moments in his appearances, since it is this sort of telling snapshot into his psyche that allows readers and watchers to see that Superman's goodness is not inherent to his being, but learned, like it is with us.

This is why, despite the emphasis on Superman having powers "far beyond those of mortal men," his name referred also to his goodness. While Jor-El sent Kal-El to Earth because he felt the human race had the capacity to be great and good if they wished to be, it is clear that Kal-El chose to become Superman and a force for good. The education he received on the family farm is the most potent symbol for 'old fashioned values' one can conjure, and this helps ground the character. He seems out of place and out of touch with his world because he is, in fact, the product of 'better times' more than the real world.

Superman has been willing to lay down his life or sacrifice his powers for good. He rescues cats from trees and participates in community fund-raisers. He often acts behind the scenes and lets others receive the credit. His modesty and humility catches his foes and critics off-guard, as they do not understand why he spends his life helping others and doing good.

Recent writers have attempted to deepen Superman's persona and provide a rationale for his goodness. They reveal his self-doubts, and his fear that he might abuse his powers and become a monster, subject to no one. He therefore makes it a point of submitting to authority, helping him to feel a restraint on his actions. In an extraordinary show of mutual respect, Superman has given Batman a ring of green kryptonite, so that if he ever lost his reason, posing a danger to himself or to humans, Batman could use the ring to defeat him.

This line of thinking, that Superman is a hero as deeply conflicted with his gifts as Batman is with his past, is key to the modern interpretation of Superman not as a better man, but what is best in man. It is also important that Superman often struggles with vast social issues in his fiction, including tackling world hunger, unsuccessfully, in a short wide-panel 1990s graphic novel called Peace on Earth (with artwork by Alex Ross). Through these conflicts, discussions of good and evil are formed, as Superman struggles with restraint in the face of bigotry, avarice, and cruelty. In this manner, Superman's excessive arsenal of powers is rendered secondary to his ability to convince others to act.

This was a further motivation for Superman becoming a reporter, for it is then possible that his physical abilities give him no unfair advantage in a field where the critical skills are intellectual (although his editor, Perry White, praised him in Superman: The Movie as "the fastest typist I have ever seen"). In current continuity, Clark Kent writes fiction in his spare time, and has had two books published, "The Janus Contract" and "Under a Yellow Sun".

Far from a perfect individual, Superman is often pictured with a sense of childish innocence mixed with patriarchal restraint. He is also a man with an incredible depth of feeling, since he lives within his own mind as much as he does in the reality of society, often struggling with the differences between the right answer and the practical one. In many ways, Superman is truly one of the most "human" heroes conceived, since he responds to emotional grief in stark contrast to the way he shrugs off bullets, bombs, and death-rays. Superman's daily martyrdom is reflected tellingly in print during his reappearance in the 1996 miniseries Kingdom Come, where he is pictured as a bearded carpenter with a long beam of wood across his back, mirroring a Christ-like image of a man who gave himself for a world that, in that storyline, did not love him.

Superman's "lily white" persona has been mocked, ridiculed, and spoofed, especially in recent comic book history, when "grim and gritty" comics dominated the market. Superman may seem old-fashioned and even quaint compared to the "dark avengers" who currently command the lion's share of the market, and this is intentional. Superman fights fair long after both sides have begun swinging below the belt, knowing that his vast powers require him to act with equal restraint. On several recent occasions, Batman has faced Superman, and Batman has served as a foil to Superman's goodness; Batman, in his more recent incarnations, won't hesitate to use guile or underhanded tactics to gain an advantage, while Superman will be overly hesitant to use his natural gifts as an unfair edge. Indeed, Batman has undergone an increasingly dark makeover. However, Superman continues to be a driving force in the medium after more than sixty years, continuing to serve as an "old school" hero in a time of increasingly darker, anti-heroic superhero characters.

"Superdickery"

Despite Superman's clean character, there are a large number of covers and panels (though comparatively small in porportion to his full body of appearances) that, when taken out of context, make Superman appear cruel, sadistic, and even psychotic. While each example has, in-context, a valid reason, when viewed with each other, these examples seem to show the Man of Steel as someone very different from his usual persona. To wit, a "dick".

Superman is well-known as a paragon of heroism and goodness. Therefore, there is much dramatic potential in presenting a Superman that goes against his normal pattern of behavior - an evil, corrupted Superman, with all the power of the original. Over time, this trope became overused, leading to a glut of comic books whose covers showed Superman in the middle of dastardly deeds.

As well, the passage of time has made the actions of a Superman published in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s seem odd to 21st-century eyes. Sometimes, Superman would do things to "teach his friends a lesson" in a paternalistic manner; read a different way, his actions might seem cruel and sadistic.

History

Creation

Cover of Superman #14, dated January-February 1942. Art by Fred Ray.

Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster not as a hero, but as a villain. Their short story "The Reign of the Superman" concerned a bald-headed villain bent on dominating the world. The story did not sell, forcing the two to reposition their character on the right side of the law. In 1935, their Superman story was again rejected by newspaper syndicates wanting to avoid lawsuits, who recognized the character as being a slightly altered Hugo Danner, the lead character from Philip Wylie's 1930 novel Gladiator. An upstart publishing company, DC Comics printed another of their creations, Dr. Occult, who made his first appearance in New Fun Comics #6, October 1935. DC decided to take a chance with Superman, figuring if any lawsuits were filed, they would just drop the feature.

The revised Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1, June 1938. Siegel and Shuster sold the rights to the company for $130. The Saturday Evening Post reported in 1941 that the pair was being paid $75,000 each per year, still a fraction of DC's Superman profits. In 1946, when Siegel and Shuster sued for more money, DC fired them, prompting a legal battle that ended in 1948, when they accepted $200,000 and signed away any further claim to Superman or any character created from him. DC soon took Siegel's and Shuster's names off the byline.

Superman vs. Captain Marvel

Main entry: National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications

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Superman battles Captain Marvel in one of the episodes of Justice League Unlimited.

Throughout the first decade of Superman's existence, DC sued several competing comic book publishers for introducing superheroes with similar powers. Among these companies were Fox Features Syndicate for their character Wonderman, and Fawcett Comics for their character Master Man.

In 1941, DC filed a lawsuit against Fawcett over another superhero character that they perceived as a Superman clone, Captain Marvel. Fawcett fought the lawsuit, and continued publishing Captain Marvel, who surpassed Superman and the other superheroes in sales in the mid-1940s. Incidentally, while DC was suing Fawcett for allegedly cloning Superman into Captain Marvel, DC also began making Superman's adventures more like Captain Marvel's, including making-red headed villain Lex Luthor bald like Captain Marvel's nemesis Dr. Sivana, having Superman fly (Captain Marvel gain this ability in 1941, a year before Superman did), and introduced Superboy, a copy of Marvel's boy sidekick Captain Marvel Junior (DC would later adapt Marvel's female sidekick, Mary Marvel, into Supergirl, with the help of Mary Marvel's creator, Otto Binder).

By 1953, the National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications case had been in litigation for twelve years, and in court for five. The case was decided in DC's favor, and Fawcett paid DC a fine and ceased publication of all Captain Marvel-related comics. DC would later acquire the rights to Captain Marvel in the 1970s; as an inside joke to the characters' long legal battle, Superman and Captain Marvel are often written as battling opponents.

Into the Silver and Modern Ages

During a multimedia career spanning over sixty years, Superman has starred in every imaginable situation, throughout the universe, and in many eras of history. Facing myriad perils, his powers have increased to the point that he is nearly omnipotent. This poses a challenge for writers: "How does one write about a character who is nearly as powerful as God?" (Superman's Kryptonian name, Kal-El, resembles the Hebrew words for "all that God is") This problem contributed to a decline in Superman's popularity, especially during the 1960s and 1970s, when Marvel Comics brought a new level of character development to mainstream comic books. By the early 1980s, DC Comics had decided that a major change was needed to make Superman more appealing to current audiences. Writer-artist John Byrne joined Superman and re-started with his The Man of Steel retelling of his origin. This 1986 reboot brought substantial changes to the character and met huge success at the time, being one of the top-selling books. The re-launch of Superman comic books returned the character to the mainstream, again in the forefront of DC's titles.

Some fans debated whether the more drastic changes were necessary, and some of the more traditional historical elements Byrne removed from the backstory were later restored. Byrne himself quit the books after a few years because he felt DC was not supporting the changes he made. But Byrne's changes became the template for Superman's origin and characterization for almost two decades. Most notably, his alterations to Lex Luthor, altering him from a scientifically oriented villain to a businessman, remain to this day.

Two alterations have had long-term effects. In the epic The Death of Superman storyline, the hero apparently died at the hands of supervillain Doomsday. He returned from the dead, though his "death" gave rise to a number of new characters and storylines. In 1996, Superman (or rather, Clark Kent) finally married Lois Lane, and the two have had a happy marriage... so far. Future editorial changes to the series may reverse some or all of these changes.

In 2003, DC Comics released a 12-issue "maxiseries" titled Superman: Birthright, written by Mark Waid and penciled by Lenil Francis Yu; this series was a retcon of Superman's post-Crisis origin, replacing Byrne's version, but yet using many elements from that version; it also reintroduced various pre-Crisis elements discarded in Byrne's revamp, along with elements that subtly tie into the Smallville television show.

Other characters

Supporting characters

Familiar supporting characters in the Superman mythos include:

• Lois Lane: Superman's love interest, who is traditionally portrayed as being indifferent to Clark, but in love with Superman; in current comics, Clark and Lois are married. Actresses portraying Lois have included Noel Neill, Phyllis Coates, Margot Kidder, Teri Hatcher, Erica Durance, and Kate Bosworth.
• Jimmy Olsen: Daily Planet photographer who often works with Lois and Clark, and has become a good friend to both. Jimmy is also known to have associated with Superman, earning him the nickname "Superman's Pal."
• Perry White: Editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet. Is noted for his trademark cigars and gruff but caring demeanor with his staff.
• Lana Lang: Clark Kent's childhood friend from Smallville. Pre-Crisis, Lana often suspected Clark of being Superboy; post-Crisis, Clark told Lana about his powers in high school before leaving Smallville. Later, Lana married Pete Ross, and had a son named Clark; Lana and Pete later divorced.
• Pete Ross: Clark Kent's childhood friend from Smallville. Pre-Crisis, Pete accidentially discovered Clark was really Superboy, but kept the knowledge a secret from Clark. Post-Crisis, he didn't learn Clark's secret until much later, and had married Lana Lang, with whom he had a son named Clark; Lana and Pete later divorced. Pete Ross was recently revealed to be a villain named 'Ruin'.
• Lori Lemaris: A mermaid who Clark Kent dated while attending Metropolis University, and was the first person he proposed marriage to (though Lori turned him down). Lori returned to current comic continuity as a prelude to Clark and Lois's short-lived breakup in a 1996 storyline.
• Jonathan and Martha Kent: Superman's foster parents who adopted and raised him after he landed on Earth. Often referred to as Ma and Pa Kent.
• Supergirl: Pre-Crisis, Supergirl was Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin from Argo City, a city that for a time had survived the destruction of Krypton until its residents died of kryptonite radiation. Post-Crisis, several unrelated versions of Supergirl have been introduced. In recent issues of Superman/Batman, a new "Supergirl from Krypton" (looking very much like the original) arrived on Earth.
• Steel: An engineer genius named John Henry Irons who created a high-tech, mechanized suit of armor to fight crime in, after Superman's death in the Death of Superman storyline, and still serves as a superhero today.
• Superboy: Pre-Crisis, Superboy was Superman's superhero identity as a teenager. Post-Crisis, Superboy is a clone, originally thought to have been of Superman, that was created after Superman died during the Death of Superman storyline. He soon found out that he was a clone of Paul Westfield. However, recently in Teen Titans, it was revealed that Superboy is actually a hybrid of human and Kryptonian DNA, with the human DNA coming from Lex Luthor. The Westfield connection has not been re-explained since.
• Krypto The Superdog: Pre-Crisis, Krypto was the El family's pet dog on Krypton, who eventually wound up on Earth and gained superpowers like Superman's. Recent comics have introduced an updated version of Krypto; this version currently lives with Superboy (Kon-El).
• Professor Phineas Potter: Pre-Crisis, Professor Potter was an eccentric scientist who used his talents to sometimes assist Superboy or Superman. Potter was depicted in Superboy stories as Lana Lang's maternal uncle.
• Professor Emil Hamilton: Post-Crisis, Professor Hamilton fills the role that Professor Potter did pre-Crisis, as a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist who lends his assistance as needed to Superman.
• Police Chief Douglas Parker: The chief of Smallville's police department; Chief Parker mainly appeared in Silver Age Superboy stories, but has been little seen in recent years.
• The Justice League of America: a team of superheroes of which Superman is a member and often the leader. Other notable JLA members include Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Green Lantern.

In Metropolis, Superman enjoys a close relationship with the police department. This especially applies to the Special Crimes Unit (SCU), a police unit that deals with superpowered threats, led by Captain Margaret Sawyer, one of the few openly gay characters in mainstream superhero comics today.

There have been a number of characters called Superboy. The original Superboy, introduced in 1944's More Fun Comics #101, represented "the adventures of Superman when he was a boy." This Superboy is no longer in publication, as post-Crisis continuity deemed that Clark Kent did not become a superhero until he reached adulthood. A new Superboy character who is a clone of Superman was created in the early 1990s; adventures featuring this character continue to be published. The Superboy name has also been the name of denizens of other dimensions, such as one from a "pocket universe" parallel dimension in the late 1980s post-Crisis Superman comics, and several individuals the current Superboy encountered during his trip through Hypertime (one of those essentially being an exact double of the pre-Crisis Superboy). See also: Superboy.

Pre-Crisis, Superman's foster parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, died in the summer after his high school graduation; post-Crisis, the Kents are alive and well and are regularly visited by Clark, who relies on them for advice in difficult times.

Villains

Superman also has a rogues gallery of supervillain enemies, including:

• Lex Luthor: Superman's most well-known enemy. Pre-Crisis, Luthor was a rogue scientific genius with a personal vendetta against Superman, using his scientific prowess to destroy the Man of Steel by any means possible. Post-Crisis, Luthor is portrayed as a powerful but corrupt CEO of a conglomerate called LexCorp, but still has the same hatred of Superman. Recently, Talia al Ghul, the daughter of Batman foe Ra's al Ghul, bankrupted Lex, so he is now without his corporate backing, with Lex as a result having returned more to his pre-Crisis persona.
• Darkseid: A cruel and merciless alien who rules the planet Apokolips and only deals with Superman when it benefits his own agenda. Not originally created as a Superman villain, but by Jack Kirby for his New Gods series.
• Bizarro: An imperfect duplicate of Superman. Pre-Crisis, Bizarro was created by an imperfect duplicator ray; post-Crisis, he originally was a failed experiment of Lex Luthor's. More recently, a newer version similar to the pre-Crisis version was reintroduced.
• Metallo: A cyborg criminal who prefers using kryptonite as his power source, which makes him a deadly threat to Superman.
• Mr. Mxyzptlk: A being from the fifth dimension with magical powers who delights in tormenting Superman and traditionally could only be made to return to his native dimension by being made to say or spell his own name backwards.
• Brainiac: An alien scientist from the planet Colu, intent on conquring Earth; pre-Crisis, Brainiac was portrayed as being an android. Post-Crisis, he was portrayed as a circus mentalist named Milton Fine who was possessed by a Coluian intelligence. During "The Doomsday Wars" storyline, however, Fine's body was destroyed and Brainiac once more inhabited a robotic body.
• Phantom Zone criminals: Pre-Crisis, these were Kryptonian criminals imprisoned in a dimension called the "Phantom Zone", in which they only existed in a ghostlike form; this allowed them to survive the destruction of Krypton. Various such criminals would sometimes escape and attack Superman.
• General Zod: Pre-Crisis, Zod was one of the main Phantom Zone criminals that fought with Superman. Post-Crisis, Zod was first depicted as a Phantom Zone criminal that Superman encountered in an alternate dimension; eventually, this Zod was killed by Superman with kryptonite. A second version of Zod was later introduced as a product of Soviet genetic engineering, surgically altered to mimic Superman.
• Parasite: A janitor (Maxwell Jensen pre-Crisis; Rudy Jones post-Crisis) who had been mutated into a super-powered man who could absorb the powers, strength, and memories of any organic being, and wanted Superman's power for himself.
• The Prankster: A villain who uses various practical jokes as a motif in his crimes. His real name is Oswald Loomis.
• Terra-Man: Pre-Crisis, a cowboy-dressed villain who uses various high-tech weapons digusised as those of the American Old West.
• Intergang: A nationwide organized crime syndicate armed with weapons supplied in part by Darkseid.
• Doomsday: A mindless, impossibly powerful, raging monster that killed Superman during the Death of Superman storyline. During the Last Laugh storyline, a "jokerized" Doomsday that had been reengineered with changes from Superman's DNA attained intelligence; Darkseid and Lex apparently had a deal to make clones of Doomsday. A version of Doomsday seen recently attained more than just the ability to talk, but the ability to reason and experience emotion, which ultimately turned him from an evil monster to a hero that saved Superman in the present and in an alternate future.
• Imperiex: An all-powerful force of nature whose purpose is destroying galaxies. Eventually, Superman, Steel, and Darkseid stopped Imperiex by using Doomsday as an ally, along with a powerful weapon called the Entropy Aegis.
• Toyman: An insane criminal who uses special equipment and weapons based on toys.
• The Cyborg Superman: A reanimated astronaut cyborg who briefly impersonated Superman after his death, and also destroyed Green Lantern Hal Jordan's home of Coast City.
• Gog: A human from the future who masters time travel, and hates Superman for allowing his parents to die.

Comics that regularly feature Superman

Current comics starring Superman:

• Superman
• Action Comics
• Adventures of Superman
• Superman/Batman
• All Star Superman (coming November 16)

Current comics in which Superman does not star, but appears regularly:

• JLA
• JLA Classified
• Justice League Unlimited

Formerly published comic titles that regularly featured Superman:

• Superman: The Man of Steel - monthly series ran 132 issues from 1991 to 2003. Not to be confused with The Man of Steel miniseries of 1986.
• Superman: the Man of Tommorrow Quarterly series in the late 1990s
• World's Finest Comics - originally seperate Superman and Batman stories in the 1940s it then featured Superman-Batman teamups from the 1950s through its cancellation in 1986
• Superman Family - an anthology title published in the 1970s and early 1980s
• Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane - a 1960s and early 1970s title that starred Lois Lane
• Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen - a title published from the mid-1950s through early 1970s that starred Jimmy Olsen

Additional reading

• Last Son of Krypton - a novel by Elliot S! Maggin: Superman's "life story" is told and he faces a mysterious alien ruler.
• Superman: Kal - an Elseworlds story by Dave Gibbons and José Luis García-López: Superman imaginary story telling What-If baby Kal-El had arrived in in old England.
• Miracle Monday - a novel by Elliot S! Maggin: tells the story of Superman trying to stop an entity of pure evil from causing universal chaos.
• "For the Man Who Has Everything" - written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Dave Gibbons: Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman journey to Superman's Fortress of Solitude to celebrate his birthday only to find their friend rendered comatose by an alien parasite that grants its host the illusion of their heart's desire. Originally published in Superman Annual #11 and recently adapted for the animated series Justice League Unlimited by J.M. DeMatteis. Reprinted in Across the Universe: The DC Universe Stories of Alan Moore (ISBN 1401200877)
• Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? - written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Curt Swan and George Pérez: The final chapter on the pre-Crisis Silver/Bronze Age Superman. Originally published in Superman #423 and Action Comics #583.
• The Man of Steel - written and illustrated by John Byrne: The revamp of Superman's origins following the Crisis on Infinite Earths.
• The Death of Superman, World Without a Superman, and The Return of Superman - written by various artists, notably Dan Jurgens: the story of Superman's death, the world's (and his loved ones') reaction, and his eventual return. A novelization of the trilogy, entitled The Death and Life of Superman, was written by Roger Stern.
• Kingdom Come - written by Mark Waid, illustrated by Alex Ross: A painted epic, in which Superman has temporarily retired, giving way to a new breed of reckless, morally ambiguous superheroes. The story was novelized by Elliot S! Maggin.
• Superman For All Seasons - written by Jeph Loeb, illustrated by Tim Sale: Superman as a young man in a timeless, Rockwellian America, from confused lad to superpowered metropolite.
• "Letitia Lerner, Superman's Babysitter" - written and illustrated by Kyle Baker: Letitia babysits the superpowered baby Clark, who rampages around the Kent's farm and ends up in a microwave oven. The story won the Eisner Award for Best Short Story in 2000.
• Superman: Red Son - written by Mark Millar, illustrated by Dave Johnson: Elseworlds story asks "What if Superman had been raised in the Soviet Union?" Superman now stands for workers' rights and the struggle for global equality, and sets out to promote world communism.
• Superman: Birthright - a twelve issue maxiseries written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Leinil F. Yu: A "re-imagining" of Superman which brings back some old, pre-Crisis concepts and adds new modern ones.

Adaptations in other media

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Kirk Alyn from the 1940s serials

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The 1941 theatrical cartoon Superman, produced by the Fleischer Studios.

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George Reeves as Superman (1951)

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Christopher Reeve as Superman

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Dean Cain as Superman

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Brandon Routh as Superman in "Superman Returns" due in 2006.

The Superman character has made the transition to radio, television, and movies, each on multiple occasions. Among the actors who have played the role are George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, and Dean Cain.

• 1940s: Superman radio series, starring Bud Collyer and Joan Alexander
• 1940s: Two Superman serials starring Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill: Superman and Atom Man vs. Superman
• 1951: "Superman And The Mole Men", feature film, and The Adventures of Superman TV series, both starring George Reeves
• 1958: The Adventures of Superpup starring Billy Curtis as Superpup/Bark Bent
• 1961: The Adventures of Superboy unaired TV series pilot starring Johnny Rockwell
• 1966: "It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman", a Broadway musical; lyrics by Lee Adams, music by Charles Strouse. WTOP-TV (now W*USA) used a news theme music based on the play. Bob Holiday played Superman.
• 1975: "It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman", TV special starring David Wilson
• 1978 Superman: The Movie, starring Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, and Christopher Reeve
• 1980s: Superman films: Superman II, Superman III, and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, starring Christopher Reeve
• 1985: Supergirl spin-off movie, starring Helen Slater and Faye Dunaway
• 1988: Superman's 50th Birthday, TV Special hosted by Dana Carvey
• Early 1990s: Superboy television series, starring John Haymes Newton (1988-1989) and Gerard Christopher (1989-1992)
• Mid-1990s: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman television series, starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher
• 2000s: Smallville television series, starring Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, and Kristin Kreuk, which places Smallville in Kansas
• 2006: Superman Returns, to be directed by Bryan Singer. Starring Brandon Routh as Superman/Clark Kent & Kevin Spacey as his archenemy, Lex Luthor.

There have also been numerous animated cartoon series starring the Man of Steel:

• 1940s: Fleischer Studios' Superman theatrical cartoons (17 in all, with Bud Collyer providing the voice of Superman)
• 1960s: Filmation's Batman-Superman Adventure Hour
• 1966: New Adventures of Superman
• 1970s: Hanna-Barbera Productions produces several Super Friends series
• Early 1980s: Super Powers: Galactic Guardians
• Late 1980s: Short-lived Superman series based on the "new" DC Comics Superman produced by Ruby-Spears
• 1990s: Superman: The Animated Series by Warner Bros.
• Late 2000: Batman Beyond episodes "The Call Parts 1 & 2" by Warner Bros.
• 2000s: Justice League: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited by Warner Bros.

The last three are in continuity with Batman: The Animated Series and its spinoffs, forming what some fans call the Diniverse , named after Paul Dini, who writes and produces the shows.

• Superman/Batman Independent Fan Film Trailer directed by Sandy Collora.
• Superman also appeared in the Justice League Task Force Super Nintendo fighting game.

Cultural influences

File:Stamp-ctc-superman.jpg

USPS stamp honoring Superman's first appearance

Some people incorrectly believe that Superman is partly based on philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s Übermensch, which literally translates to “overman” but could also mean “superman.” Nietzsche’s Übermensch is any person who rejects unfounded thinking. Some people argue that kryptonians’ mental and physical superiority when compared to humans is meant to indicate that they are racially better, as eugenics would teach. Others say that kryptonian super powers are merely a contrivance and the more advanced world of Krypton represents what the people of Earth can achieve in our future. This theory is bolstered by the fact that our own sun is getting older and will someday turn red, so if the universe with Superman’s physics were to apply to reality then someday Earth would produce humans who, when energized by a yellow sun, would likely have the same powers as Superman.

Superman is believed to have been inspired in part by Philip Wylie's 1930 science fiction novel Gladiator, about a man whose superhuman strength inspires him to help the human race, but who is instead spurned by humanity precisely because of his power. Other sources cited as inspirations include Doc Savage and The Shadow. Superman is a staple of American pop culture.

DC Comics has trademarked variations on the "super" theme, such as "superdog" and "supergal", to circumvent parody or product confusion. Nevertheless, a great many imitations and parodies of Superman have appeared over the years. One of the first Superman-like characters to emerge, Fawcett Comics' Captain Marvel, sparked legal action because of its similarities to Superman. Well-known spoofs of Superman include Mighty Mouse, Underdog, Super Grover, and Super Goof.

In the 1978 "Superman vs. Muhammad Ali" issue, DC Comics took advantage of the popularity of a real world person. The heavy weight boxing champion had been praised as Black Superman in a song by Johnny Wakelin, too.

In the 1990s, comic book artist and writer Rob Liefeld created a Superman pastiche and starred him in his own comic book series, Supreme. The series, published by Liefeld's Awesome Comics, sold moderately well at first, but sales dwindled until the series was taken over with issue #41 by writer Alan Moore. Moore produced 22 issues of Supreme that paid homage to the classic "Silver Age" Superman.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld expressed his fandom of Superman in several ways. On the Seinfeld TV show, a Superman statue sat on the stereo in Jerry's livingroom, and a Superman refrigerator magnet was always visible in his kitchen. Jerry affectionately addressed some of his girlfriends as "Lois Lane". Seinfeld is also famous for having a Superman reference in every episode. In 1998, an American Express commercial featured real-life Jerry Seinfeld and an animated Superman as buddies holding a running conversation around New York City, (directed by David Kellogg).

One of the few Superman-like characters that DC Comics allowed to stand without litigation is Hyperion, from Marvel Comics's superhero team, Squadron Supreme. The Squadron Supreme was created to do unofficial JLA/Avengers crossovers; the "new" characters were thinly veiled versions of their DC JLA counterparts. Hyperion stood in for Superman, the Whizzer for The Flash, etc. DC in turn introduced the "Assemblers of Angar", a thinly-veiled Avengers pastiche. Hyperion has been revamped in a new Marvel series, Supreme Power, giving a new take on the Superman mythology.

In 2004, local authorities in Sweden refused to allow a child to be named Stålmannen, which means Superman (literally: The Man of Steel). The Swedish parliament was considering at the time whether to intervene and overrule the initial judgement.[3]

Superman in popular music

Superman has long been a popular subject for music, inspiring songs by artists ranging from The Kinks and Barbra Streisand of one generation through The Sugarhill Gang, Genesis, R.E.M., Crash Test Dummies, and Spin Doctors to current performers like Eminem, Dream Theater , Three Doors Down, Our Lady Peace and Five For Fighting. See: Superman in popular music

Superman parodies/references

• Apollo of the superhero teams Stormwatch and the Authority is often seen as a Superman-pastiche. He also gets his powers from the sun, wears a spandex outfit with a triangular logo on the front, and possesses the powers of flight, heat vision and super-strength. As a differentiating twist, Apollo is the gay lover of Midnighter, the corresponding Batman-pastiche.

• Gladiator of the Shi'ar is an analogue of Superboy and Superman, and possesses a number of relevant powers, such as strength, endurance, flight, enhanced senses, and the ability to travel through space unaided. His costume also shares a similar theme with Superman.

• Hyperion, originally of Marvel Comics' Squadron Supreme, was originally a tribute to Superman; like Superman, he was a solar-powered alien who fell to Earth in a spaceship and tried to live as a human. The Squadron Supreme as a whole was created as an homage\parody of DC Comics's superhero team Justice League Of America. In the darker Supreme Power reboot, Hyperion is taken from his foster family by the government and raised as a super-soldier to be acutely aware of his biological superiority, and believes himself to be better than all humans.

• The Saint from the independent comic The Pro was an obvious parody of Superman; he wore a blue spandex uniform with a red cape, had a day job as a reporter, and had an unrequited crush on his pushy co-worker.

• Sentry, a Superman-like hero who derived his powers from a special serum. The Sentry was an optimistic and socially accepted hero who stood in marked contrast to the mostly freakish nature of Marvel characters.

• From its earliest days, MAD Magazine has frequently spoofed the Man of Steel; some consider the parody "Superduperman!" (from issue #4), in which a Superman doppelganger battles a Captain Marvel doppelganger named "Captain Marbles", to be the magazine's first true example of what would come to be the MAD vein. Since then, numerous MAD articles about or including Superman have appeared, including parodies of the various TV and movie projects. Other related pieces include:
  • "What If Superman Were Raised by Jewish Parents?" (in which the rabbi is unable to circumcise his super-foreskin, but he makes his mother proud by using his vision to become a radiologist);
  • "What If Truth in Advertising Laws Applied to Comic Book Previews," which made sport of DC Comics' killing and reviving the character;
  • "The Incredi-Man Archives," an alleged reprint collection of a 1940s infringement of Superman (like Captain Marvel). The character boasted such powers as incredi-hearing and incredi-viola playing, and like Superman, avoided World War II service. However, Incredi-Man did so by faking homosexuality;
  • Various gag strips, including one by Sergio Aragones in which a hobo finds Clark Kent's abandoned suit inside a phone booth and steals it, and another by Don Martin in which a series of massive lifts induce a "super-hernia."
• Author John Varley wrote the short story "Truth, Justice and the Politically Correct Socialist Path", a parody where Superman does not land in the United States but in Soviet Russia. In this story, "Kyril Kentarovsky" took on the identity of "Bolshoiman", who attempted to represent Russia but only managed to get thrown into a gulag (with Leon Trotsky as his cellmate). The story can be found in the collection "Superheroes", edited by John Varley and Ricia Mainhardt.

• Author Larry Niven wrote the short essay/study "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex", about the psycological and biological problems with Superman's romace with Lois Lane, or any human female. Niven has written (in N-Space and elsewhere) that DC has forbidden the publication of any illustrated version of this essay.

• Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama parodied Superman in his first series Dr. Slump, in the form of "Suppaman" (the way that Superman is written in Japanese katakana), a short, fat, pompous buffoon who transforms into a Superman-like costume by eating a sour (or "suppa" in Japanese) pickled plum. Unlike Superman, Suppaman can't fly, and instead pretends to fly by lying belly down on a skateboard and scooting through the streets.The Dr. Slump characters appeared in an episode of Dragonball,where,in the english dubbed version,Suppaman was renamed "Sourman".

• In the Philippines-produced movie Fly Me To The Moon (produced around 1988), starring Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey De Leon (the hosts of Eat Bulaga!), Superman's costume got sucked into their spaceship's rocket booster while the three were on their way to the moon. Superman, who appears in the film wearing only polka-dot boxer shorts, is shown begging the astronauts for the return of his costume.

• In an episode of the television series The Monkees, the Monkees audition over the telephone in a phone booth, delaying Clark Kent from using the booth to change into Superman.

• Spanish cartoonist Jan created his parody of Superman in 1973, called Superlópez.

• Superdupont is a parodized French Superman.

• The Rock played a Superman unable to conceal his secret identity effectively from Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White (while being completely oblivious of that fact) in a Saturday Night Live sketch. Other Saturday Night Lives Sketches spoofing the hero included Christopher Reeve, playing himself, auditioning for the role of Superman against another young hopeful and it is soon revealed that Christopher has the egde since he has Superman's powers. There is also a sketch spoofing the "Funeral for a Friend" story in which Superman's funeral is attended by Lex Luthor (who admits he won't really miss him), Marvel Comics' Super-Heroes (including a eulogy by the Incredible Hulk, and Black Lightning (played by Sinbad) claiming that he taught Superman how to fly.

• Ultiman is Big Bang Comics, based on Superman recreate the golden age and silver age of comics.

• Supreme was created by Rob Liefeld and was a violent, egotistical Superman knockoff. Later Alan Moore rebooted Supreme to be more Superman mythos.

• Samaritan is the Astro City version of Superman.

Notes

1#Template:Anb Moses, Gilgamesh)

2#Template:Anb Narrator Bill Kennedy intoned at the start of each program: "Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look! Up in the sky. It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman! Yes, it's Superman - strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman - who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel with his bare hands, and who disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a neverending battle for Truth, Justice, and the American Way."

External links

Comics

• DC Comics - Superman

Movies

• Blue Tights – For the latest news about the Superman Returns movie coming in 2006.

Animated Cartoons

• Superman: The Animated Series on toonzone.net
• JLU's Superman profile on JLResource.com
• Freely downloadable Superman cartoons

Essays

• An Analysis of Superman, The Man of Steel
• Superman - The Man
• Theoretical Origin of Kryptonians
• IDENTITY CRISIS: The Many Faces of the Man of Steel Commentary on the origins of an American cultural phenomenon
• The Photonucleic Effect
• Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex an essay by Larry Niven about Superman's sexual and reproductive problems. (Note: This essay deals with adult subject matter and may be offensive to some people.)
• Superman's Shield and its History, studing the development of Superman's shield emblem in its various incarnations and reimaginings.

Fan Pages

• Superman Homepage – "Everything you ever wanted to know about the Man of Steel and more"; mainly dedicated to the post-Crisis version of Superman
• Superman Through the Ages – a website focusing mainly on the pre-Crisis version of Superman
• Supermanica – a wiki site devoted to the minutiae of the pre-Crisis Superman Family.
• Supermanica: Superman – Supermanica entry on the pre-Crisis Man of Steel
• Supermanica: Superman of Earth-2 – Supermanica entry on the Golden Age/Earth-Two version of Superman
• Index of Superman's Earth-1 adventures
• Index of Superman's Earth-1 team-ups with Batman
• Index of Superman's Earth-1 team-ups with other heroes
• Index of Earth-1 adventures of the Superman "family"
• Superman Supersite
• Superman Is A Dick – a sarcastic take on various Superman comic covers
• Krypton: the fanfilm – The page of the fanfilm "Krypton"
• Superman: The Last Son of Krypton – Recently Superman has returned to audio dramas, the first medium he appeared in outside of comic books. The audio dramas are produced by a full cast of over fifteen people with full sound effects and music score, and are available for free download in .mp3 format
• KryptonSite.com – Your source for Smallville news and information.
• Superdickery.com

International Fan Pages

• Superman-Returns.info – The first german Fan Page about the upcoming movie Template:Link FATemplate:Link FA